The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the complete burning of waste products, such as used petroleum oil, plastics, tires and all fuels. Burning of waste products has caused environmental problems which has brought above government regulations on waste disposal. Air pollution being the number one environmental concern because of unburned or partially burned health hazardous waste products, including sulfur and nitrogen gaseous chemicals and chemical ash solids.
There are restrictions on burning waste products which require means for treating the fumes given off in the burning process to either collect hazardous waste or insuring more complete burning of waste products to change the chemical state of hazardous waste to non-hazardous chemicals. The use of filters and fume scrubbers is well known in the field of air pollution cleaning equipment. This equipment is, however, very expensive to purchase and operate, therefore, a better solution to the problem would be to have more complete burning of waste products to reduce the waste to a non-hazardous product that can either be dispensed into the atmosphere as acceptable non-polluting gases or to remove them as non-hazardous solid waste in the form of ash which can be buried without the fear of ground pollution. Several patents are devoted to fume filters and scrubbers for cleaning partially burned gases and solids given off in waste burning. Several other patents are directed to more complete burning of waste products to change the chemical state of the products to non-hazardous gases and solids.
The inventor is aware of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. for burning waste products: 1,791.223, 2,014,714, 2,344,218, 2,580,179, 3,195,608, 3,946,680, 4,113,445.
Of the above listed patents only U.S. Pat. No. 2,014,714 issued to Bauer and U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,608 issued to Voorheis et al are of interest to the present invention in terms of apparatus. The other cited patents represent the state of the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,014,714, Bauer, discloses an oil burner having a combination chamber in which waste oil is fed into the bottom of the chamber and ignited by a flame. Combustion air is fed into the chamber by a perforated ring mounted in the chamber above the waste oil fee. The combustion air co-mingles with the fumes given off by the burning oil for more complete burning. Baur attempts to burn the rising waste fumes as the fumes leave the chamber, however, some of the fumes are likely to escape unburned since the air feed is directed out of the chamber, which is entirely different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,608, Voorheis et al provides a volatile waste incinerator with a bottom center feed of diesel fuel and peripheral air feeds. The air feeds are slightly above the diesel fuel feeder to provide a good air to fuel mixture for burning volatile waste.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a waste product burner apparatus and method for the complete burning of waste products without introducing pollutants into the atmosphere. The term "waste products" includes all fuels.
Another object of this invention is to provide a waste product burner apparatus in which combustion air is added above the waste product fuel for complete burning.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a waste product burner apparatus for complete burning of waste petroleum oils, plastics and tires without polluting the atmosphere.
A further object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive waste product burner apparatus that is inexpensive to manufacture and to operate.